Why is My Dishwasher Not Draining?

Although it’s never a welcome sight to open your dishwasher and find out the machine hasn’t drained fully, try not to overreact just yet. You might manage solve the fault before you have to call a repair person or buy a brand-new dishwasher.

Standing water in your machine may be caused by multiple issues some of which can be easy to deal with. Therefore, before you call a dishwasher repair service here is a lineup of potential components you may identify yourself. Some of which are not even caused by the machine itself.

Check the cycle wasn’t cut short

If you’re lucky the fact your dishwasher hasn’t emptied may not be a problem at all. Rather, the cycle might have been cut short.

The cycle could have been stopped mid-way for multiple of reasons. Kids pressing buttons, accidentally pushing on the control panel, a power surge or opening the dishwasher mid-cycle may all prevent the cycle from completing and mean your machine doesn’t empty.

If you think this might be the case, or you just want to be sure it’s not the issue start your dishwasher again on a short program.

A few machines could have a drain program so it’s well worth having a look at your instruction manual or consulting google to check.

Inspect the disposal

If your dishwasher is plumbed into a garbage disposal examine this first as a blocked disposal will prevent the machine from draining. Turn on the garbage disposal with lots of water to check there are no obstructions.

If you do uncover an issue drain cleaner or a plunger could be employed to clear the blockage and so this could rectify the error.

Examine the sink waste for issues

If you kitchen sink is draining slowly this could signify a plumbing issue instead of an error with your machine.

If the kitchen sink is draining slowly you can attempt putting some bicarb and white vinegar down the drain, letting it sit for a while and then flushing it away with boiling water.

A plunger could also be employed to attempt to dislodge the obstruction.

This may be enough to allow your dishwasher to drain so start a quick program at this point. If this hasn’t sorted the issue you can remove the standing water by hand using a bowl as well as a sponge and check a few more possible issues.

At this point make certain to turn off the dishwasher to avoid electrocution.

If during one of these checks you suspect you may have discovered and repaired the problem you don’t need to go through the remaining issues. Just run an empty program to ensure the machine is fixed.

Check and clean the filters

Any number of things could block the filters including popcorn, labels from containers, film lids and smashed glass. Clear film could also be hard to see if you aren’t looking for it.

Remove the filter and scrub it thoroughly before replacing it. Not all dishwashers have their filter in the same place so you may need to consult the instructions for this.

Is the drain pipe blocked?

The next component to examine is the waste water hose. Many things could cause an obstruction including a build up of food debris, a kink in the hose, or a crushed hose. All of which could all impede your machine from emptying.

Depending on the location of the waste hose (normally the corrugated one) you could have the means to inspect it simply by removing the base alternatively you might need to move the dishwasher out from under the counter.

Have a look at the pipe in the first instance to see if it has been crushed or kinked. You might manage manually remove any kinks which should resolve the issue, but it’s worth noting that when this has happened the probability of it occurring again is greatly increased so you could need to purchase a new hose.

If you are unable to find any obvious kinks or obstructions you can remove the drain hose from the pump and blow into it to figure out if there are any blockages. Be sure to put down newspaper or towels before you remove the hose as there might still be waste water in the hose.

If you can’t blow through the hose this may be the problem.

Disconnect the hose at the sink end and give it a thorough clean to remove the obstruction. If you are unable to get rid of the blockage or the pipe is slit or degraded invest in a brand-new one. If you can get rid of the blockage then put the hose back and run a short cycle to make sure you have repaired the issue.

You could also examinethe point where the pipe connects under your sink as well. This is a likely point for blockages to occur so if you happen to take off the waste hose give this area a thorough clean as well.

Inspect the drain valve

You could manually check the drain valve to check it isn’t got stuck. The drain valve will often be found at the base of the dishwasher on the valve bracket. Consult your manual if you’re unsure.

Pressing down on the valve or wiggling it a bit should be enough to let you know if it’s seized. If you are able to see anything blocking it get rid of this. If you are unable to, this could be when you should get in touch with a repair person unless you are undaunted by purchasing and repairing the part yourself.

Check your pump is not broken

Your appliance pump makes use of impellers that may become blocked by pieces of china or other objects. Check your pump isn’t obstructed by taking off the safety cover and ensuring that the impellers are free to move.

Run your machine and listen for any unusual sounds

If your dishwasher sounds unusual your dishwasher pump or motor could be damaged and need to be repaired.

Call a repair person

If none of the above investigations has fixed the problem, or you think the pump, pump valve or motor are damaged, it might be time to call a plumber.

This way though you will at least manage give them more information and have prevented having to pay a big repair fee for a blocked hose.

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